Some time after the Chi Ceti incident, the Commonwealth was decommissioned by the UNSC and landed on a deserted wasteland to be scrapped.

When the Epsilon Eridani system was attacked, the Commonwealth became a battlefield venue between the ground forces of the UNSC and the Covenant.[7]

At the time of the attack, the Commonwealth was well into being scrapped. Already, its entire port-side launch deck was removed, along with its port engines. Its bridge had been taken out, and holes were made on its underbelly to allow staircases to be fitted in for the technicians assigned to take it apart. What remained of the Commonwealth was destroyed when Covenant forces set fire to Reach.

The UNSC Commonwealth serves as part of a vista in Halo: Reach's multiplayer map, Boneyard.

The Commonwealth could also be named after The Commonwealth of Nations which is a group of former British colonies and dominions or it could be named after the term "commonwealth," which is a country that a stranger nation claims as a territory or protectorate, such as the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The crew of the Commonwealth were ordered to wear respirator packs when Captain Wallace vented atmosphere in the ship to cut off a fire caused by plasma.